And in the end, it will provide a more porous security net than envisioned.

What’s the average cost of installing and operating just one functioning camera? Documents show the cost is $236,000. Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica claims fraud, waste and abuse has occurred.

Those are the latest findings of an ongoing Chicago Sun-Times / NBC5 News investigation.

Read the complete stories at the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC5.

From WeAreIllinois.org

That’s an average of three bad apples a year sent to the pokey, according to the study released today by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s political science department and a watchdog group, the Better Government Association.

Read the complete article at the Chicago Sun-Times.

But amid the cries from the public and the call from President Barack Obama, a Chicago native, for governments to be more open, local leaders have launched initiatives for citizens to see where exactly government money goes.

The latest effort comes from Cook County, Ill., which put its check register online at the county’s Web site, www.cookcounty.gov, a move that will not only allow the public to track local tax dollars, but could create a wave of similar transparency measures across the state.

Read the entire article at govtech.com.

The complete article can be viewed at the Chicago Tribune.

With the primary behind us, I want to thank all of the 16th district voters and taxpayers, as well as all Cook County taxpayers who have stood behind us, encouraged us, donated to us and prayed for us.

The voters understood that this is not about any of us individually. It is about doing the right thing in a one-party county and state, protecting the taxpayers and those who are without voice or representation, and providing leadership where none exists.

I pledge to you on my solemn honor, that I will continue the fight for smaller government, lower taxes and elimination of corruption in Cook County until my last breath.

We must educate new generation of young leadership, forge strong alliances with African-American and Latino voters, and run on the principles that make GOP Party and our nation great: God, Country, Family and Individual Responsibility.

We have a great opportunity before us in 2010 to restore a functioning two-party democracy in this corrupt state, county and city.

It is up to us.

We must close our ranks, stand behind our party nominees, and, with clear vision and purpose, engage the other side like they have never been engaged before.

Now is the time.

Will you stand with us and join us in this battle? Will you commit yourself to personally work, contribute, organize and support your local, state and federal candidates.

This is the place.

The whole country and the world is looking at Illinois and waiting for us to send the signal for the rest of the nation. This is the heart of America. We are common-sense Midwesterners who know pretenders when we see them.

Do it.

Not for yourself, but for future generations who are going to look on this time and say: “How we wish we were there to share that moment in history with them.”

Tony Peraica

CHICAGO – Financial data released today showed that the newly formed independent Cook County Health and Hospitals System surpassed their revenue projections for FY2009 and spent less money than they were allocated in the FY2009 budget.

Combined, the CCHHS made a positive contribution of about $236.5 million to the taxpayers of Cook County.

According to data from the Cook County Comptroller’s Office, the CCHHS:
- contributed $231.3 million to the County’s general fund in FY2009
- brought in $194M more revenue then was budget in FY2009
- spent about $42 million less than what was budgeted in FY2009

“These numbers show that we are committed to making sure that we are using our resources wisely without affecting patient care,” said CCHHS CEO William Foley. “We will continue to find ways to make our System more efficient while also searching for opportunities to better serve
our patient’s needs.”

CCHHS (formerly known as the Cook County Bureau of Health Services) oversees a comprehensive, integrated system of healthcare throughout Chicago and suburban Cook County through its hospitals, ambulatory and community health network clinics, public health department, correctional
healthcare facility, and outpatient infectious disease center.

The CCHHS is comprised of: John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County , Provident Hospital of Cook County, Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County, Cook County Department of Public Health, Cermak Health Services, the Ruth Rothstein CORE Center and the 16 Ambulatory and Community Health
Network ACHN) health centers.

This is what I have been saying all along, for the last year. There is no deficit. There is no shortage of funds.

There is no need to enact the Stroger Sales Tax.

There is ample reason to roll back the balance of the Stroger Sales Tax.

As I was saying this for the past year, I was attacked of being a racist, of not knowing the facts, of grandstanding, of misleading the public, of political chicanery.

The fact is, as we now know, and, as I have been saying for the past year, there is no deficit.

Todd Stroger has LIED to the taxpayers and the public. He has engaged in gross exaggeration to justify the unjustifiable — a 135% increase in the sales tax in Cook County.

This deception of the voters and taxpayers should be punished severely on Feb. 2nd Election Day, by voting out of office Todd Stroger, Mario Moreno, Deborah Sims, Joan Murphy, Bill Beavers and Jerry Butler who have perpetrated this hoax on the taxpayers.

Honesty in government is rule number one.

Now is the time to show all of the above the door.

Sincerely,
Tony Peraica

The measures will be introduced at tomorrow’s county board meeting and will be referred to the finance committee, with a vote expected on January 26th. If the reductions are approved, the Stroger sales tax increase would be completely eliminated as of January 1, 2011.

“Recently, the board of commissioners worked together to roll back half of this ill-advised and unnecessary tax increase. Now it is time to finish what we started,” Peraica said. “I strongly urge all of my fellow commissioners to do what is right for the taxpayers of Cook County and join me in rolling back the remainder of this sales tax increase.”

Anthony J. Peraica
Commissioner 16th District

We are directly across from Westchester Village Hall